Tuesday, December 4, 2012

As a mother of two fast growing children, I am constantly looking for a way to save money...especially on shoes. I have a 14 year old son and a 9 year old daughter, so shoe buying is a constant thing around our home.

When I got the chance to work with Rack Room Shoes, I jumped at the opportunity! Their buy one get one 50% off deals make shopping for shoes so much less painful!

Rack Room Shoes is currently searching for entrants for its ninth annual Models Wanted Contest for a chance to be featured in 2013 advertising campaigns. Interested individuals must submit a completed application form, along with two images. The contest ends December 31. For additional information, please visit http://www.rackroomshoes.com/mw-entry-2013/.

Winning families will be featured on their website, in newspaper inserts and on in-store signage.

What Winning Families Receive...

A professional photo shoot with hair stylists and make-up artist to treat you like "real" models

A $250 Rack Room Shoes gift card for each model

Commemorative book & DVD with behind the scenes photos to share your memories of a fabulous experience

Rhonda, a mom of 3, and the 2012 winner of the Model's Wanted contest shared her experience with me...

Rack Room Shoes invites real families to model in 2013 campaigns

Mom of 3 shares her family's Models Wanted contest experience

Rack Room Shoes features real customers – rather than professional models – in its advertising. Every year, the shoe retailer hosts its Models Wanted contest, inviting families to enter for a chance to receive red carpet treatment and be the next to be featured in the ads.Rhonda, mother of the 2012 Models Wanted winning family, shares how this experience was not only a unique opportunity to be treated like a movie star, but also a chance to foster family memories that will last a lifetime.Don’t forget to enter for your chance to be in the Rack Room Shoes’ spotlight – and a trip that you and your family won’t ever forget. To learn more about the contest, visit http://www.rackroomshoes.com/mw-entry-2013/ - and be sure to check out Rhonda’s experience below!

As the mother of three growing children, I always go to Rack Room Shoes to buy footwear for my family. Daily BOGOs and quality shoes for the whole family - it doesn’t get much better than that for a busy mom! Last year I happened to be shoe shopping when I saw an entry form for a contest that caught my attention.

I decided to submit a few of my favorite family photos. I enjoyed the opportunity to sift through some old snapshots, but figured that would be the end of it.

I had forgotten all about the entry until we received a phone call from a Rack Room representative. To be honest, I thought it was a joke!

At first I thought they would just want to feature the kids, but my husband, David, and I were also included in the photo shoot. I had no idea what to expect, but it was a great time. I enjoyed every minute of it!

We were treated like movie stars as soon as we arrived in Charlotte. Each day we got our hair and make up done, played on set and got to try on lots of shoes. I remember waking up one morning thinking, “I could get used to this!” The Rack Room Shoes team was so welcoming and really treated us as part of the family.

I think David and I will always remember this experience and the looks on our kids’ faces during the shoot – priceless! (I’m not sure who enjoyed the experience more, them or us.) All in all, I have to say I’m thankful I picked up that form in the Rack Room Shoes store that afternoon, or I would have missed out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend quality time with my family.

So, if you are considering entering, I say go for it! What do you have to lose? We certainly gained more than we could’ve ever imagined. Below are a few pictures from the shoot, and you can also see us online at www.rackroomshoes.com and in stores at all 400 locations. Although I’m still getting used to seeing my family’s faces on the Rack Room Shoes’ website and signage every time I go into the store, this has certainly been an experience we will never forget!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Walgreen's has their shelves stocked with some yummy goodness, and I aint talkin' recipes, ladies ;)

Well, hellooooo Channing...or shall I say Sexiest Man Alive 2012?

I mean, he has a title now, right? Well, he should, because hmmm...

Pretty hottttt! Is he looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes? Oh, he sure is pretty...I mean boys can be pretty, right?

My personal choice would have been Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries, because he is the ultimate bad boy vampire with the most dreamy eyes I've ever seen, but I think Channing Tatum would be up there in my top 3.

So, besides PEOPLE Magazine hosting the Sexiest Man Alive issue, I love getting my celebrity fix. I love this feature called, Growing Up Twilight...yes, I know...enough with the vampires already, but I love them. I love getting to take a look at the then and now's, and seeing how people have changed over the years.

And wow...celebrity news that has my daughter in fits...fits of a good nature. Justin Bieber is single!!!

Not sure why my 9 year old daughter thinks this is good news for her??? She pulled her Biebs posters out of her closet and proceeded to hang them back up...I guess she'll be back to writing Kate Bieber on all of her notebooks again ;)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

This post is sponsored by Mohawk. This is my story, and a great way to turn a nightmare into a happy ending!

Do you have a carpet nightmare story? I sure do...

I have kids. Two of them to be exact. Somehow on the weekends and during school breaks, they multiply. Our home seems to be the main hub for all children ages nine through fifteen. Don't get me wrong, I love that they want to be here, but they have left my carpet looking way less than stellar. In fact, our carpet is horrific. We jumped on the berber carpet train years ago, because we were told that it didn't stain as easily, was easy to clean, and extremely durable. We could not have been more wrong. There was nothing stain resistant about the carpet that we bought...nothing.

We lived in carpet jail. We had pieces of furniture and rugs strategically placed over the really bad stains, and we had just learned to live with the others.

As a mother and self professed neat freak, living in this condition was unbearable.

Just sitting in my living room made me anxious and angry. That nasty carpet had to go.

Once I finally convinced Matt that the time had come to get new carpeting, the hunt for a more stain resistant carpet was on. It couldn't just be stain resistant though, it had to be pretty and soft too.

See, I am a spiller, and so are the kids. So, we definitely need something that resists liquid.

We have a monster dog...I so wish he still looked like this...

We also have two sweet animals. One is a monster dog with huge paws. He loves being outside, and when he comes in, his paws are usually filthy. I try to wipe them off, but he usually gets past me so quickly that I am more likely going to be cleaning floors instead of paws...crazy dog!

And...I want my friends to bring their sweet babies over without being afraid to put them down on my floor!

Mohawk makes an incredible carpet line called Luxuriously Soft SmartStrand® Silk™ with DuPont™ Sorona®. Mohawk’s SmartStrand Silk with DuPont Sorona carpet features a different kind of fiber—it’s called triexta. Triexta is the only carpet fiber that has stain and soil resistance engineered into the fiber itself. Because this protection is natural to the fiber, no harsh chemical treatments are applied during manufacturing. Stain and soil protection lasts the life of the carpet, meaning the carpet looks newer for longer. This creates happy customers.

I want to make absolute sure that what I am buying has been tested, by families. Families with dogs and kids. The person below has a dog that got into M&M's and that stain came up...so surely my dog's muddy paws wouldn't ruin this carpet!

Okay, ladies...you know what time of year it is right? Yes, I know, Christmas is coming...but, what comes before Christmas? I'm not talking turkey, I'm talking about PEOPLE Magazine's Annual Sexiest Man Alive Issue...oh yeah...that's what I'm talking about!

I have been a long time reader of People Magazine. It's my go to magazine for fashion, current events, and of course, celebrity gossip. There are so many magazines out there with false stories about celebrities, but I know that when I read People, I am getting the facts, and usually straight from the celebrities. Last week's issue is one of my favorite's so far...a sneak peek at Justin Timberlake's wedding. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not devastated that he is no longer single, but at least he married a nice girl named Jessica...close enough, I guess ;) I can't tell you how many times I wrote my own name as Jessica Timberlake when I was younger...before I got married.

So, onto bigger, more important things...

People's Annual Sexiest Man Alive Issue hits stores on November 15th...I am going to be at Walgreen's first thing in the morning to grab mine up! I am super excited, and have my own idea about who I think is going to win...what about you...who would you pick if you got to vote??? Wanna see some hotties from year's past?

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

I want to give you a chance to buy your own People Magazine or whatever else you like...

Leave a comment telling me who you think would win or who you would pick to win if it were your choice, and you will be entered to win a $20 gift card for Walgreen's! Just make sure to leave your email address so I may contact you. Then you can get your own magazine, and maybe a few snacks to go along with it!

I'll announce the winner here on Monday, November 19th!

(not Timberlake ;)

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign withPollinate Media

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I have a little girl that absolutely adores Halloween, so when I got the chance to try out some new Mod Podge products, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to make my sweet girl her very own Trick or Treat bucket...a one of a kind bucket for a one of a kind girl.

Mod Podge offers such an amazing array of products, but I really wanted to try their Glow-In-The-Dark Formula. I knew it would be perfect for trick or treating on Halloween night. What a fun way to keep your kiddos safe when it's dark outside!

I started with a paint bucket that I purchased at my local home improvement store for $4. Then I found some 12 X 12 scrapbook paper that fit her costume this year...a black cat. I cut each piece 12 X 7 1/2 inches.

I held one of the pieces of paper up against the bucket and cut holes out for the handle. Then I painted on a thin coat of the Gloss Mod Podge. I didn't use the Glow-In-The-Dark formula for this, because I only needed to "glue" the paper to the bucket.

I placed the paper on the bucket then used the Mod Podge Squeegee to smooth the paper down and push out any wrinkles or bubbles. This tool is a huge help, especially if you don't want to get your fingers sticky. After each use, I wash mine with soap and water.

After you get the first piece of paper glued down, simply repeat the process with the second piece of paper. At this point your bucket will be totally covered.

Now comes the fun part! I cut a cute little paper doll dressed as a black cat for my bucket. You could add anything here for embellishment...monsters, vampires, Starwars characters, etc. You can decorate your bucket with stickers, cut pages from books, or let your children draw something on their buckets.

I also added a little extra bling to our bucket. I used one of the Podgeable Shapes to make a little pumpkin bucket for our black cat girl. Then, I painted the cat suit with Extreme Glitter in Black from Folk Art, wrapped a feather boa around the handle, and finally finished each side off with big orange satin bows...very blingy indead!

The last thing I did was really fun. I paint the entire surface with the Mod Podge Glow-In-The-Dark Fluorescent formula! I went with 3 coats to be sure to get the best effect, and we love it!

My only regret is that the Glow-In-The-Dark formula doesn't photograph well in the dark. I tried my camera on every single setting, but it was a no go. I can promise you though, the effect is sooo cool. Kate keeps taking her bucket in her closet to see.

It's not quite time for Trick or Treating, but she is absolutely ready to go!

If you have been afraid to try Mod Podge, please take the leap...you will love it! There are so many fabulous formulas, and I cannot wait to use them all and share with you!